These Old Bones
by ForScienceYouMonster
Summary: This is set in the future and they still live in the tunnels.


**(A/N): Ok, first off this is in the future (obviously) and it is a tear jerker, no lies I cried re-reading it and writing this. You have been warned. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own HoN. *sigh* **

The bed dipped as the vampyre sat upon it, trying her best not to disturb the man who laid there sleeping soundly. She failed miserably though, as she always had. Rephaim had always managed to wake up whenever she snuck back in from a long night of teaching. Stevie Rae had long accused him of having some kind of sixth sense, but they both knew it was because she always swore up a storm whenever she stubbed her toe on that ridiculous piece of floor tile down the hallway that she'd never bothered to fix. It was stupid, really. She could have fixed in ages ago, or at least flipped on a light. But Rephaim never left their bedroom, so what was the point?

With a sweet, sleepy little smile, Rephaim rolled over onto his back and opened his arms to the blond-haired female.

"Hmmm. I've been waiting for you." He murmured softly, his voice still hoarse from sleep.

"You've been sleeping. You used to wait all night." Stevie Rae corrected, though it held no hint of malice as she slid across the sheets and into the grasp of the withered, outstretched hands that drew her close to leave a loving kiss upon her temple.

"I'm not as young as I used to be."

"I don't know why you won't let me-"

"I don't want to live forever, Stevie Rae. You know that. I'm an old man, now. Life is only meant to be lived once, and lived well."

"But my life seems to last forever." It was barely more than a whisper as it passed her lips.

"Then live it well." Rephaim kissed her.

It never seemed enough anymore. Time and time again she found herself wanting to just wrap her arms around the aged man and never let him go. Gone were the days where she could just crush the human against her and kiss him for all he was worth. Now she had to be so very gentle. Every movement had to be calculated so as not to cause her unnecessary injury. Even helping him to get up out of bed in the morning caused his joints to creak and crack and gave him all sorts of pain that had to be remedied with a cocktail of pills. She knew it was her fault that she had made him become human for her. Rephaim didn't seem to blame her. But despite his constant reassurances of it being the best years of his life, it hadn't done anything to assuage the red vampyre of her guilt.

And it was truly her guilt.

Hers alone.

Stevie Rae lifted her head from Rephaim's chest where it had been lying, and she ever-so-gently pressed her lips to the thin, saliva-specked ones of her one and only lover in a lingering kiss.

"I have a surprise for you."

Rephaim smiled, but it soon turned into a look of stunned surprise as the vampyre pulled out the most perfect looking raven's feather that he could have imagined. It was black but in the soft candle-light you could see the different shades of blue and purple within it.

"Oh my goddess...Where did you get this?" Rephaim asked breathlessly, his voice seeming to escape him with the one exhale. It had been such a very long time since he had seen anything like this. He was almost always stuck down underground since he was too old to climb the ladder and get out himself

"Ravens don't fly near here anymore, and I haven't turned into a raven in years," he stated.

"I know." Stevie Rae smiled, propping herself up on one elbow and resting her chin upon her hand. "I found one next to _the tree_, I couldn't lose the feeling that it was a sign."

"I thought it would make you happy."

"I am happy."

"Good, because all I want is for you to be happy, and you don't have forever."

And there remained the crux of the issue. They both knew that the vampyre had the ability to do whatever she put her mind to. She had the resources and the know-how to make her human as young as he once was.

"Stevie Rae..." Rephaim started in a soothing tone.

"I don't see why you won't let me. I can fix this!" the vampyre begged.

"My red one, I'm not broken. I'm just old." The grey-haired human offered a sympathetic smile as he cupped the woman's cheeks. "The years we've had together won't ever be enough. But it's been eighty eight years. I've outlived your expectations. We've both had plenty of time to prepare for this."

She couldn't deny that fact. But being an essentially immortal vampyre that would live forever did tend to skew one's perception of time.

Stevie Rae let out a rattling sigh and let her head come back to rest upon the pillow next to her human lover. For a long while she just stared at him, determined to take in every little detail that she could; from his tan cheeks as soft as suede, to his chocolate brown eyes that were still as bright as the day she had watched him transform. The only thing missing was the soul deep guilt that had plagued him for so long. It had been replaced by a tiredness than ran as deeply as his veins. Stevie Rae knew then that there was no hope of convincing him of changing his mind. But for her own sake, she would try one more time.

Her nose gently butted the velveteen cheek of the mostly bedridden man, drinking in deeply that beautiful scent. She dared to part her lips to let them caress his skin as well while Rephaim rested the feather on the bedside table where it would be safe. Soon enough, Stevie Rae's lips met the junction of his shoulder and neck where the skin crinkled up like old clothes and left plenty of places for new kisses to hide. She'd been over the spot a hundred times before, but with every passing year there was always a new place to leave them. And no matter how many years passed, she'd never forgotten the little noise of approval that she'd managed to elicit from him the first and every time she'd touched him there.

Her hands wandered across Rephaim's elderly body, careful not to press too hard against his thin skin. She didn't want to hurt him. Stevie Rae could still remember the numbing horror that stuck a lump in her throat when she'd once been just a little too rough and it tore a little mark in his flesh.

Never again.

It had taken her weeks to regain the courage to touch him again after that little incident. It wasn't even a bad skin tear, but she'd been frightened of herself. She had been genuinely frightened of anything more than a fleeting kiss. Even hugging seemed like too much to ask. But Rephaim had brought her around with his reassurances that everything was fine and that she just needed to be careful.

"Not tonight."

Rephaim's voice was so soft that Stevie Rae barely managed to hear him. She looked up to eyes that were starting to flutter closed with coming sleep.

"Not tonight." Rephaim repeated. "These old bones can't handle you like they used to."

"I'll get you new ones." Stevie Rae promised in a panic, clutching at the wrinkled hands that soothed her and drawing them to her face. "I'll get you better ones."

But the ex-ravenmocker tiredly shook his head, his lips barely able to hold a smile.

"Please...Please. Pleasepleaseplease..." The vampyre begged desperately, daring to hold them tighter as she pressed a little kiss to his fingers. "Don't leave me. Please don't leave. I don't want to be alone."

"I'm sorry. I really am. And don't think that I don't love you, because I do. So much. But I'm tired. I need to go to sleep."

"Forever."

"Forever." Rephaim repeated.

"I'm not going to last without you though!"

"It will be alright, you will get by my red one."

For a moment, there was an aching silence.

"Come here." Rephaim crooned, opening up his arms again and letting his lover settle herself as he drew her to his chest. "Do you love me?"

"Yes."

"Then Happy Valentine's Day. It was a lovely present. I wish I could have gotten you one."

"You did."

Stevie Rae smiled sadly and drew closer. The bed was nice and warm over there. With Rephaim almost constantly in it, it was like having a little heater going that always smelled like him. A heater that stroked its hands through her hair and rubbed her shoulders whenever she had a bad day and none of her students seemed to learn anything.

Stevie Rae closed her eyes and spread her fingers out across the mattress to soak up the warmth.

It was a good dream.

A nice dream.

But that side of the bed had been cold for a good twenty years.


End file.
